The Vermont watchman. [volume] (Montpelier, Vt.) 1883-1911, 1887-04-20

/ -
tered upon an animated, if not brilliant, |
conversation.
Was Miss Evans going to visit her
friends in Brightley again?
No, she was going to New Haven to
visit former schoolmate. GA distant
relative, indeed" said Miss Evans,
land, curiously enough, having my ex-
act name, Title Evans"
There were three brothers, be-
gan Mr.. Browne, with seeming irrele-
| vance.
Miss Evans looked her astonishment
Came over in the Mayhower,'
didn't they? But which branch of the
family do you honor by being a member
of it %
She begun to comprehend his chaff
Why, now, Mr.. Browne, you are
laughing at me. But, really, there were
three brothers in this case"
"There always are"
" But, truly, Tillie and | got to talk
ing it over, and we found that the tradi-
tions in her family and mine agree
exactly"
=" beg pardon, but | think that a
close agreement in detail, of a thing as
far away as that, argues collision of
the witnesses. That is to say, the real
source of their information is quite re-
cent. | don't mean that the witnesses
have conspired together, but some one
has been prompting them"
" don't see your reasoning. But,
aside from the traditions, there is book,
The History of the Evans Family by
Rev. Llwellyn Evans of North Brooke.
published about the beginning of the
century"
" see," interrupted Mr.. Browne.
The historian has made careful
search in parish registers, town his
tories and family records, and has sifted
the various traditions in the different
branches of the family. His statements
can be relied on as substantially cor
rect-really, Mr.. Browne" seeming to
see a lingering doubt in his eyes.
Yes, he says as much in the pref
ace, presume. And the other Miss
Evans has read this book too, | sup
pose"
don't know. Indeed l have not
read it myself, but my father has. 1t
was never very popular work, be-
lieve, and it is not now easy to get hold
of it. There is copy in the Lenox
Library in New York, / am told, and
one in the Boston Public Library.
All, well, l do not dispute the
record. never stand out against the
evidence, and rarely accept statement
without. | waive further proof in this
case"
Still, see you are not convinced!
"Oh, | am am. Pray 90 on"
No, they didn't come over in the
MayfiOwer,' but a generation later
about the year 1860. They did not get
along very well together, at least their
families did not, and Hugh and Thomas,
, after few years, went West to grow
up with the country. That is, they
went to the New Haven colonies.
Llwellyn, who had been most prosper
Gus, remained in the Massachusetts
Bay colony"
g He was the youngest, was he not?"
, Z" | believe that is the tradition. |
belong to this branch of the family. OF
course the descendants are scattered
everywhere, but they are still very
numerous in eastern Massachusetts.
There is a house near Boston, now
owned by my Uncle Thomas, which has
, been occupied by the Evanses for
almost two hundred years. But -
: seeming to notice the oddity of his
question for the first time" what made
, you think he was the youngest brother?
, You have not read"
, "The book? Defend us. No. l
argued it on general principles. These
/ histories are very much alike. We have
about the same traditions in our family,
even to the old manor house. Haven't
| you noticed, too, that the Brownies are
' pretty numerous in eastern Massachu-
sets? BY the way, have just been
= trying a rather important case, in which
the three brothers figured. They were
not Browns, nor Evanses, but Smiths.
Y The Smiths are pretty plenty around
Boston, too, | believe. 1t is a dull
=. story, but you may be interested to
t know that gained my case"
d" Indeed! You surprise me-" said
o Miss Evans, little revengefully, "but
t still let me congratulate you"
: g Yes, | was little surprised myself
n But then l had good case. Old
G Necessity, as we sometimes call him
s because he knows no law, could not
y manage the jury this time. The Judge
V took the case from them on a strict
n question of law. l was on the side OF
e the youngest brother"
S She cast sharp glance at him, but
:. he was apparently serious.
e "Now, Mr.. Browne, you are really
o too bad. What in the world has the
t youngest brother to do with all this?'
r Much every way. But you haven't
o been very much interested in mythol
ogy, suspect. You see my practice
e has been such as to give me abundant
a leisure to look into good many things
e little. The success of the younges
3 brother is one of the Oldest and wides
It traditions of the race. But beware
h that you do not get me to talking OF
e the subject. You will never hear the
d last of it,"
II Still | think l should survive it,
d can listen to almost anything. But
s. really, think should be very mucl
" interested"
IS 1t did not take much urgency to star
ct him, for, as the reader perceives, thi
10 was his hobby.
s. "Of course you remember Cinder
1t ella, who, to be sure, was only the
" youngest sister, but this is only varia
\. ton of the tradition. She has he
If double in almost every country. Yol
Is have read Grimm's Fairy Tales?'"
is She nodded assent.